Appalling state of the monorail cabins

[Bairstow]

Why is it that Disneyland has FANTASTIC management while Disney World is falling to pieces?!

1. Disneyland is located much closer to Disney Corporate, Hollywood, and WDI. It's the park that people who actually have the power to change things actually go to.

2. Disneyland gets a lot more repeat and return business from locals and rabid fans, so degrading conditions or stale attractions are noticed sooner and new additions and special promotions are appreciated more.

 

[raymusiccity]

Sou

There's two malls closest to my home. One is a twenty minute drive and the other is a forty five minute drive.

The twenty minute drive mall is filthy. It's walls used to be a creamy, soft elegant white, now they're literally yellow with age and grossness. It's carpeting is horrific and even duct taped in certain areas.

This mall has a 40% occupancy rate and I'm honestly not sure how it's even that high. (Checked websites for that number, it's probably outdated) It's parking lots are dingy and could use a good cleaning, resurfacing, and repainting.


The mall that's farther away is pristine white, well maintained, with clean polished floors and well designed carpeting too. The windows are washed daily, the mall is dusted daily. This mall has a 97%occupancy rate and it shows! as it's very busy and parking can be a nightmare due to the crowds. (This mall also has a disney store, whereas mall #1 used to. It it closed ten years ago,if not longer) I go here almost every weekend.

Point being, if the mall is well kept and maintained, people go. And spend money. Lots of it. The mall that isn't, will soon be turned into either corporate headquarters for our local monopoly health insurance company or it will be leveled entirely and replaced with who cares, because no one will miss it.

Same scenario can be applied to disney. Maintain your parks, keep them fresh and clean, add something new once in a while to entertain them, and people will come and blow all kinds of money on your stuff. And you'll be happy. If you're going to charge $650 a night for a monorail resort, keep that monorail looking it's damn best to impress those people into coming back and spending that money again, instead of "downgrading" to a moderate resort or even staying off site entirely.

Don't maintain your parks, and people will travel just a little bit up the road to the cleaner, newer, fresher offerings.

With a brand new, shiny monorail.... From what folks on this board have said. Looking at you, @WDW1974 .

Sounds like Hickory Hollow Mall vs. Cool Springs Galleria ! I guess this is being played out all over the country.

 

[Sam Magic]

1. Disneyland is located much closer to Disney Corporate, Hollywood, and WDI. It's the park that people who actually have the power to change things actually go to.

2. Disneyland gets a lot more repeat and return business from locals and rabid fans, so degrading conditions or stale attractions are noticed sooner and new additions and special promotions are appreciated more.

Well I get that, but the world is the icon of the company, you would think it would have better upkeep than this . I am utterly disappointed in Disney, they once were leaders and now they are degrading themselves to a trash yard. Disneyland VS Disney World is the best example of the broken-window theory.

God, I can see the writing on the wall and I don't like what it says.

 

[englanddg]

There is no excuse for the condition of the monorails.

But also consider the wear and tear and abuse those things endure.

In the old days, everyone had to take a seat. There was no standing, and there was no room for strollers, wheelchairs, and electric scooters.

Now, due in part to the resort's huge growth, they must pack those trains as full as possible. With that many people crammed into such a small space so many times a day, there is going to be extreme wear and tear, especially on any trim that gets rammed by strollers and scooters.

Sadly, the best way to make the trains attractive will be to replace the already sparse interior with hard, rigid fiberglass like the parking lot trams. And they need to shift away more traffic to buses and watercraft. The monorails simply can no longer comfortably handle the demand created by additional rooms/DVC going up along the MK route.

And that's a shame because, as someone pointed out, Disney is charging a fortune to stay at a monorail resort.

While true, they do get abuse, it is also a reflection of the larger "maintenance" plan at Disney seeming to favor more taking things "down" or out of service rather than doing constant maintenance.

Also, the choice of materials / methods used would have a dramatic impact. For example, if they did a thick powdercoat and then maintained it with clear laquer on a weekly basis, that would have a dramatic impact.

In addition, replacing textured plastic with smooth would also make a difference (especially the ceiling panels), and I'm not sure who's bright idea it was to put carpeting...

 

[Bairstow]

While true, they do get abuse, it is also a reflection of the larger "maintenance" plan at Disney seeming to favor more taking things "down" or out of service rather than doing constant maintenance.

Also, the choice of materials / methods used would have a dramatic impact. For example, if they did a thick powdercoat and then maintained it with clear laquer on a weekly basis, that would have a dramatic impact.

In addition, replacing textured plastic with smooth would also make a difference (especially the ceiling panels), and I'm not sure who's bright idea it was to put carpeting...

The carpet makes a lot of sense, really, but it looks as though they've exceeded the lifespan of the panels that are in there now.

Smooth plastic or vinyl would look really cheap, especially when sunlight glares off of it.
Plus, it would be a lot louder in the cabs.

Compare in your head for a second the interior of a decent van versus the back of a squad car.

 

[englanddg]

As has been posted...

Yep, feels just like the back of a squad car.

 

[englanddg]

Note the SMOOTH plastic.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

The carpet makes a lot of sense, really,

For the amount of traffic that they get in those monorails, people spilling drinks, pushing strollers through...how did it make sense? Costs a lot to maintain, that's for sure, and even if they did recarpet regularly, it means taking the train off the track. Not exactly good.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Why is it that Disneyland has FANTASTIC management while Disney World is falling to pieces?!

I wouldn't call Disneyland's management "fantastic", by any means.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Well I get that, but the world is the icon of the company...

I wouldn't say that. Mickey Mouse is the icon of the company.

No, I take that back. The dollar sign is the icon of the company. At one point in time, Mickey was the icon.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I wouldn't call Disneyland's management "fantastic", by any means.

But Michael Colglazier served popcorn on Main Street, USA!

 

[Californian Elitist]

But Michael Colglazier served popcorn on Main Street, USA!

Ah, yes! That shows his strong commitment to the parks!

 

[lazyboy97o]

Ah, yes! That shows his strong commitment to the parks!

I also hear he is quite the disco fan.

 

[wdisney9000]

They have creative departments that make and construct everything from fake mountains with snow on them to AA robots that look real. Why cant the same department take the interior parts of the monorail that need replacing (panels, seats, doors) and cast or make new ones? Would it be that hard to do?

 

[Californian Elitist]

I also hear he is quite the disco fan.

Yes, I've heard that as well. Maybe that's why some of the animatronics in DL's Splash aren't working?

 

[lazyboy97o]

They have creative departments that make and construct everything from fake mountains with snow on them to AA robots that look real. Why cant the same department take the interior parts of the monorail that need replacing (panels, seats, doors) and cast or make new ones? Would it be that hard to do?

Those departments were shut down or sold off years ago.

 

[wdisney9000]

Those departments were shut down or sold off years ago.

Wouldnt that mean they are getting the work done cheaper somewhere else then? Have whoever makes these build a few monorail parts.

 

[TP2000]

Why is it that Disneyland has FANTASTIC management while Disney World is falling to pieces?!

It's weird how that works, isn't it? Of course, it wasn't always that way. 15 years ago your comment would have been reversed. But the corporate tides changed, and now it's guys like John Lassetter staying overnight in Walt's apartment in New Orleans Square who make sure Disneyland gets as much TLC as possible.

As for the monorails, to be fair, Disneyland just replaced their entire fleet a few years ago. And the fleet they replaced were from 1987, so they were just past the 20 year mark on the odometer. How old is the WDW fleet now? Maybe the replacement fleet is on the way soon?

All that said, the Disneyland monorails got some really cool LED lighting effects inside the cabins. Here's the tail cone seating, with a view out to Tomorrowland from the Tomorrowland Station.

 

[TP2000]

They have creative departments that make and construct everything from fake mountains with snow on them to AA robots that look real. Why cant the same department take the interior parts of the monorail that need replacing (panels, seats, doors) and cast or make new ones? Would it be that hard to do?

No, it wouldn't be hard to do at all.

It would require a few meetings in advance with some middle managers and a few designers, and then some execs to approve some funds, and then some guys in the staff shop to fabricate some stuff, and then some guys in the maintenance shop to install it. It would take about 90 days from start to finish.

But to start that process, it takes a senior leader to ride the monorail and realize there's a problem their underlings didn't include in the last happy-shiny PowerPoint show.

 

[Dasnowz]

There is no one that cleans the boats nightly anymore. There used to be but that has since been discontinued. Do not look over the sides. It is beyond disgusting. Gum and such down to the waterline. Garbage cans were removed due to security concerns. Seats are being removed to make room for strollerpalooza.

Monorails do have cleaning crews that come out nightly. What they are doing I have no idea. They are supposed to be cleaning and making them all shiny. I have seen and heard them up there supposedly cleaning numerous times. Please send these pictures to guest relations with time and date so they can be addressed.

The trams from the parking lot are in just as deplorable condition. They are rusty in the cabs. Run very badly. The seats are cracked and peeling. Holes in the exterior body areas. On some, the speakers do not even work. Screws fall out of the overhead and hit guests in the head. They are not truly cleaned but simply wiped down with a towel in the morning by some very nice parking ladies.

Disney transportation is in a very sad condition all around.